Daily Kayakoy Ghost Town & Faralya Tour from Dalyan – Butterfly Valley

Kayakoy Ghost Town and Faralya Butterfly Valley Day Trip from Dalyan

Joining this daily Kayakoy ghost town and Faralya tour from Dalyan is a simple way to swap the riverside town for a day of history and coastline around Fethiye. It is a relaxed, fully guided day tour in English, with pickup from your Dalyan hotel, a comfortable coach and drop-off at the end of the day. Entrance fees for the visits are covered; meals are not part of the package, so budget for lunch along the way.

• Kayakoy (Levissi) – an abandoned hillside town roughly 7 km from Fethiye
• Lycian roots – nearby remains often attributed to ancient Karmylassos
• Some 3,500 stone homes left behind by a Greek community
• 1923 population exchange – the event that emptied the streets
• Named by National Geographic among the ten most remarkable ghost towns on earth
• Faralya & Butterfly Valley with around two hours for swimming and relaxing

The first half of this Kayakoy day trip is all about the ghost town. Settlers from the Dodecanese islands arrived in the 18th century and named their town Levissi; over the following generations it grew into a busy community. When about 6,000 Greek residents were obliged to leave under the 1923 exchange agreement between Greece and Turkey, the houses were never fully reoccupied. Walking the cobbled paths between empty walls and hillside chapels, with your guide filling in the background, is a moving and highly photogenic experience. Historians still debate whether the ancient site beside it is Karmylassos or another Lycian settlement.

The second stop is Faralya, high above the sea near Fethiye, where green slopes fall toward the cove known locally as Butterfly Valley. Its reputation has soared in recent years, and you get about two hours to enjoy the view and take a dip if you wish.

Good to know: this daily excursion lasts around six hours. Wear sturdy footwear for the uneven ground in Kayakoy and pack swimwear, a towel and sunscreen for Faralya.